Throughout the year, Indigenous Services hosts a number of educational and cultural events for our Lethbridge Polytechnic community. These events range from educational workshops and RBC student success series specifically dedicated for our Indigenous students, to cultural events for all community members, Indigenous and non-Indigenous alike, to attend and share in the rich heritage and culture that is still alive and thriving today. We invite you all participate and take some time to pause and reflect on the past and look to the future with celebrations that honour our Indigenous communities and recognizes the accomplishments of our Indigenous learners.
Annual Indigenous Events
Indigenous Student Welcome Feast and Poiskinnaksin (sacred ochre blessing)
Students can begin their academic year in a good way, sharing in our Indigenous Student Welcome Feast and Poiskinnaksin (sacred ochre blessing). It's an opportunity to visit with Elders and share in space, prayer and feasting.
Orange Shirt Day
Orange Shirt Day on September 30th provides opportunities to create meaningful discussion about the effects of Residential Schools and the legacy they have left behind. Each year, Lethbridge Polytechnic’s Indigenous Services hosts a short program, including the hashtag #EveryChildMatters to continue the discussion and bring continued awareness to the legacy of residential schools in Canada. Orange Shirt Day is an opportunity for Indigenous and non-Indigenous communities, local governments, schools and organizations to come together in the spirit of reconciliation and hope for generations of children to come.
Learn more about Orange Shirt Day
Sisters in Spirit
Sisters in Spirit honours the memory of the more than 1,200 missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls in Canada. Every year on Oct. 4, vigils and events are held across the country in support of family members and loved ones. Amnesty International - Lethbridge, in collaboration with local and surrounding Indigenous community partners, organizes this local event.
Stone Pipe Days
Celebrate the pride, history and knowledge of First Nations, Métis and Inuit culture and heritage during our annual Stone Pipe Days. Over the course of three days, you’ll be immersed in Indigenous culture with a line-up of both traditional and contemporary entertainment, educational panel discussions and guest speakers from the community including:
- powwow drumming and dancing performances
- Métis fiddling and jigging
- a hand drum contest
- a taste of culture
- arts, crafts and community exhibits
- and much more!
Rock Your Mocs
Rock Your Mocs is a worldwide Native American & Indigenous Peoples social media unity event held annually during November. During Rock Your Mocs, individuals are asked to wear their moccasins, take a photo and share them online with the hashtag #ROCKYOURMOCS which creates “an online photo album” for the world to see and enjoy. In addition, Lethbridge Polytechnic’s Indigenous Services host a short program highlighting the local culture and history of moccasin-making and includes a round dance.
Indigenous Honour Celebration
Each spring, we host Indigenous Honour Celebration in conjunction with Lethbridge Polytechnic Convocation. The event is a time for graduating students, their families, supporting agencies, polytechnic faculty and staff to come together in celebration of the accomplishments of our Indigenous graduates.